January 7, 2019
Panchayat system of Bangla a model for India, says World Bank
The World Bank has praised the panchayat system in Bangla and has held it up as a model for other States to follow.
The success of the panchayat system is also a result of the extended financial aid programme of the World Bank, called Institutional Strengthening of gram Panchayats Programme (ISGPP). It started in the State on July 1, 2016.
As part of this programme, the World Bank would be spending a total of Rs 1,350 crore for all the panchayats together. The money has to be spent in full by 2022.
However, to the State Government’s credit, 49.4 per cent, or almost half, of the target had been achieved in two years, according to a Central Government report. Hence, the total target would be achieved much before the original deadline.
According to officials of the Panchayats Department, a recent tripartite meeting was held recently in New Delhi, where representatives from the Central Government, the World Bank and various State Governments took part. It was at this meeting that the World Bank told the Central Government that Bangla was the model that the rest of the States need to follow.
Source: Ei Samay
